“Of Mice and Megabytes Supplement”

IS VOIP READY FOR PRIMETIME?
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For some, the desire to use the Internet for making and receiving phone calls has been around for almost as long as the Internet itself. Early efforts, though, were hampered by poor voice quality due mainly to the slow connection speed between computers and the ‘Net. However, with the growing popularity of high speed Internet connections – particularly cable modems and DSL (digital subscriber line) – the dream of utilizing cyberspace for voice communications is coming true.

VoIP communication, or voice over the Internet (technically, Voice Over Internetwork Protocol), is gaining popularity as an alternative to plain old telephone service. Companies such as Vonage and Earthlink offer unlimited calling plans for about $25/month and smaller companies are entering the fray with even cheaper plans. At any price, the bargain is in the feature-rich service that includes call waiting, call forwarding, caller ID, voice mail, 3-way calling, and more.

Setting up your VoIP equipment (Vonage and Earthlink offer a free phone adapter required to use VoIP) is fairly straight forward, and you can use your current telephone(s). Managing your account, configuring call forwarding, 911 emergency services location information, and voice mail is accomplished online.

For the frequent traveler, there’s an added bonus: portability. Since your phone number is fixed within the phone adapter, you can tote around the small, lightweight gizmo when traveling, and then hook it up to a high-speed connection. So no matter where you’re hanging your hat, you’re always “home” when friends and associates call.

If you’re considering VoIP the first requirement is a high-speed connection. If you already have a DSL or cable modem, you can check the potential voice quality by visiting www.testyourvoip.com. Also, not all VoIP service providers can transfer your current phone number, so inquire before signing up.

It almost sounds too good to be true, huh? Low, flat monthly charge, numerous desirable features, and easy set-up, but what about voice quality? Does VoIP overcome the problems that hampered earlier attempts? Is it safe to drop plain old telephone service in favor of VoIP? Well, my curiosity was piqued and so I decided to be my own guinea pig.

The quick answer: Vonage’s promise is pretty much the reality and the voice quality is good … mostly. But to get our VoIP service up and running required a lot of personal persistence in the form of phone calls to Vonage’s customer service department –- and that was just to fix the foul-up surrounding delivery of the phone adapter -- and some research on my own.

For the brevity’s sake, I’ll stick to the key points of my Vonage voyage.

In order to use our current phones, an adapter is required, but installing it for use with our in-house wiring isn’t quite as simple as the TV commercial states. Luckily, the solution was simple. I disconnected the phone lines coming from the telephone pole into our house’s junction box. Why? Because even if the phone company disconnects service, about 50 volts resides in the lines. This voltage, in turn, raises heck with the phone adapter. (I labeled the incoming wires so their removal could be easily reversed … just in case.)

Remember, if the Internet service is down so is the VoIP service. For us, losing Internet connection is commonplace only during the snow season … which, unfortunately, is about six months of the year.

Vonage’s voice mail doesn’t allow for call screening, so we use it as back-up in case we do lose Internet access. Our greeting advises the caller to leave a message or to contact us on our cell phone. Voice messages can be accessed online, by phone, or even e-mail.

Phone calls can be forwarded simultaneously to five different phone numbers. One hitch: Call forwarding can only be configured online.

The connection speed to and from the Internet in large part determines the clarity of your communications. You can test your theoretical voice quality at www.testyourvoip.com. (Our connection was rated at 3.8, a so-so score.)

I also subscribe to Vonage’s dedicated fax line for $10/month. I wasn’t able to keep my old fax number, but on the upside, I no longer endure fax spam that I was previously receiving.

Vonage incorporates a 911 Emergency service (“to most areas”) but it’s up to the customer to provide the service location information via their online account.

Though not a commonplace problem for most, if your home address is NOT on a postal carrier’s route, do NOT request that Vonage ship it to your house. You won’t receive it. Our first phone adapter was returned as undeliverable and a second unit had to be sent not to our home, but instead to our mailing address. (This is problematic of the DHL@Home delivery service.)

We’ve encountered only a few echoey, choppy phone conversations, but overall, Vonage has lived up to its hype. If you want to gain some insight about customer experiences, problems, and solutions, visit the Vonage Forum (www.vonage-forum.com).

I want to be clear that I am not endorsing Vonage, the most heavily advertised of the VoIP companies. Earthlink, AT&T, and Rocket, to name a few, are also players in the VoIP services game.

Re-printed from the Rafu Shimpo, March and April 2006. Copyright©2006 Rafu Shimpo. All rights reserved.